Chicana and Chicano Studies

The California State University, Northridge, Chicana and Chicano Studies Department’s Spanish Bilingual Elementary Program in Indigenous and Chicana/o Communities Option (Bachelor of Arts) is a 120-unit program designed to prepare students (prospective English/Spanish bilingual elementary teachers of multiple subjects) to teach K-6th grade students who attend California public schools. The program engages students in courses that are aligned with and build upon the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) Domains of the Subject Matter Requirements (February 2023) (Multiple Subjects) while meeting the CSUN General Education requirements.

The program’s goal is to prepare students (future English/Spanish bilingual teachers) with the knowledge and awareness of Chicana/o, Latina/o, and Indigenous systems of knowledge, languages, cultural traditions, and worldviews to support the academic success and positive ethnic identity development of K-6 students. Students will apply research-based strategies and implement culturally sustaining teaching practices for effective bilingual education, demonstrating proficiency in supporting language development and academic content acquisition in both English and Spanish in diverse classroom settings. The program supports students to analyze and critique the historical and current impacts of systemic inequities in education, with a focus on ethnically diverse communities and on applying anti-racist and decolonial practices in their teaching.

Students whose evaluated coursework successfully meets CCTC Domains will have demonstrated competency in Multiple Subjects and thus will not be required to pass the California Subject Exam for Teachers (CSET) Multiple Subject Subtests. Students completing the program are encouraged to apply to a teaching credential program. Please consult an Advisor in the Chicana/o Studies Department (818) 677-2734 for further information.

1. Lower Division Required Courses (57 units)

Freshmen Composition (3 units)

Select one course from:

AAS 115 Approaches to University Writing (3)
or AFRS 115 Approaches to University Writing (3)
or CAS 115 Approaches to University Writing (3)
or CHS 115 Approaches to University Writing (3)
or QS 115 Approaches to University Writing (3)

Alternatively, students may complete the two-semester stretch writing sequence:

AAS 113A/AAS 113B or AAS 114A/AAS 114B Approaches to University Writing A/B (3-3)
or AFRS 113A/AFRS 113B or AFRS 114A/AFRS 114B Approaches to University Writing A/B (3-3)
or CAS 113A/CAS 113B or CAS 114A/CAS 114B Approaches to University Writing A/B (3-3)
or CHS 113A/CHS 113B or CHS 114A/CHS 114B Approaches to University Writing A/B (3-3)
or QS 113A/QS 113B or QS 114A/QS 114B Approaches to University Writing A/B (3-3)

Critical Thinking (3 units)

Select one course from:

AAS 201 Race, Racism and Critical Thinking (3)
or AFRS 204 Race and Critical Thinking (3)
or AIS 210 Thinking About Knowing (3)
or CHS 202 Race, Racism and Critical Thinking (3)
or QS 201 Race and Ethnicity in Queer Studies (3)

Freshman Speech Communication (3 units)

Select one course from:

AAS 151 Fundamentals of Public Speaking (3)
or AFRS 151 Freshman Speech Communication (3)
or CAS 151 Fundamentals of Public Speaking (3)
or CHS 151 Freshman Speech Communication (3)
or QS 151 Fundamentals of QS Public Speaking (3)

Take the following courses:

2. Upper Division Required Courses (63 units)

CHS 302 Alfabetización Temprana en Español (3)
CHS 333 Language and Society: Chicanas/os and Other Language Minority Children (3)
CHS 347 Indigenous Intellectual History (3)
CHS 362 Contemporary Indigenous Migrations and Diasporas (3)
CHS 408 Chicana/o Indigenous and Decolonizing Pedagogies in Education (3)
CHS 416 Chicana/o Children’s Dance, Music, and Teatro (3)
CHS 417 Equity and Diversity in Schools (3)
CHS 430 The Chicana/o Child (3)
CHS 432 Counseling the Chicana/o Child (3)
CHS 433 Language Acquisition in Chicana/o and ESL Speakers (3)
CHS 437 Chicana/o and Indigenous Asset-Based Approach to English Literacy (3)
CHS 448 Chicana/o Public History (3)
CHS 480/F Chicana/o/Indigenous Children’s Literature in Communities and Fieldwork (2/1)
CHS 497 Senior Seminar in Chicana/o Studies (3)
KIN 470/L Physical Education for Children and Lab (3)
MATH 310 Basic Concepts of Geometry (3)
MATH 312 Basic Algebraic Concepts (3)

Select one course from:

BIOL 325 Life in the Sea (3)
or LING 303 Human Language: Defining Our Biological Identity (3)
or LING 310 Forensic Linguistics: Language and the Law (3)
or QS 369 The Nature of Queer (3)

Select one course from:

CHS 401 Pre-Cuauhtemoc Meso-American Civilizations (3)
or CAS 309 Ancient to Pre-Modern History of the Central American People (3)

Select one course from:

ENGL 301 Language and Linguistics (3)
or LING 300 Approaches to Linguistic Analysis (3)

Select one course from:

SPAN 304 Advanced Grammar and Composition (3)
or SPAN 306 Advanced Composition (3)
or SPAN 497 Comparative Structure of Spanish and English (3)

3. General Education (43 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 43 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (E.S.) requirement. Spanish Bilingual Elementary Program in Indigenous and Chicana/o Communities Option (SBEP-ICC) majors satisfy General Education requirements by completion of the major.

43 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: AAS 115 or AFRS 115 or CAS 115 or CHS 115 or QS 115 or Stretch Writing 113B or 114B satisfies Basic Skills Area 1A English Composition (Written Communication); AAS 201 or AFRS 204 or AIS 210 or CHS 202 or QS 201 satisfies Basic Skills Area 1B Critical Thinking; AAS 151 or AFRS 151 or CAS 151 or CHS 151 or QS 151 satisfies Basic Skills Area 1C Oral Communication; MATH 210 satisfies Basic Skills Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning; CHS 111 satisfies Area 3A Arts; CHS 201 satisfies Area 3B Humanities; CHS 347 and CHS 362 satisfy Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences; CHS 260 satisfies Area 4A/B Constitution of the United States and California State and Local Government; GEOL 101 satisfies Area 5A Physical Science; ASTR 154L satisfies Area 5C Science Laboratory Activity; BIOL 100/BIOL 100L or BIOL 101 satisfies Area 5B Biological Science; BIOL 325 or LING 303 or LING 310 or QS 369 satisfies Area 5 Upper Division Physical and Biological Sciences; and CHS 101 and CHS 102 satisfy CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies. CHS 497 fulfills the Information Competence requirement. The Ethnic Studies (E.S.) requirement is met through coursework in the major.

4. Campus Requirements (6 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 6 units of Campus Requirements as described in this Catalog. CHS 347 meets the Lifelong Learning requirement. HIST 270 or HIST 271 satisfy the American History, Institutions, and Ideals requirement.

Total Units in the Major: 71

General Education Units: 43

Campus Requirement Units: 6

Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120